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Story 91

A Strayon ambassador

The ship is a towering behemoth of metal and glass, an encapsulated city that houses the last remnants of your people. As you wend your way through the bustling corridors you feel the weight of responsibility on your shoulders. Parliament on board this ship is minuscule compared to the large group of representatives that worked as government functionaries on your old home planet but the colony ship could only save so many and it became a meritocracy for who to save.

You can’t help but feel a sense of unease as you enter the Parliament chamber and take your seat at the front, facing rows of seats occupied by representatives from different sectors of the ship’s population. The chamber falls silent as all eyes turn to you, waiting for your address.

You begin with a simple “Thank you for gathering today,” but then you pause. The silence stretches on, causing murmurs to rise among the group and even your own team starts to shift uneasily in their seats. Finally you lean into your mic and clear your throat, “An ambassador from Tunow, a planet in a neighboring solar system, was meeting with us at Aeon Station. During the meeting, wanting to impress me and my crew, the ambassador started boasting. ‘Last week, I was on Doravin V. I met one of the all time greatest glocken athletes. The previous week, I was on Zhian Prime. I met the galaxy’s leading mathematician. The week before, I was on Kei. I shook hands with the most beautiful supermodel in the universe. A few days earlier, I was on Lunari. I had lunch with the most accomplished chef who ever lived. From there, I went to Ularos IX, where I got an autograph from the best composer I’ve ever heard!’

I nodded humbly and replied, ‘Yes, our leader has been traveling a lot recently.'”

The room laughed and you sat back more comfortably holding the mic in your hand.

“I want to remind all of you that we are a small colony now. We cannot afford to isolate ourselves from potential allies and friends. And who knows, maybe one day we will need their help.”

Silence falls over the chamber as everyone ponders your words. Finally, one representative stands up and speaks out.”Very well, I support sending an ambassador,” he announces firmly, “We need to consider the long-term benefits for our people.”

Slowly but surely, more voices join in and before you know it, the majority of the representatives are in support of your request.

Transport the Strayon ambassador to Aeon Station. The Scoundrel will specifically target your ship while the ambassador is on board. After arriving on Aeon with the ambassador, gain two fame points.

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Story 75

Convince the Strayons to take a seat at the table

While talking with Ambassador Tazik you eventually find yourself in a more secluded area on Aeon Station and there in front of you is a transparent steel window overlooking Planet 0. The view is breathtaking, and the Ambassador allows you a moment to appreciate the sight before addressing you.

“It’s almost transcendent,” he says, “to witness such a beautiful and vibrant planet surrounded by the bleakness of space. Many of our home worlds were once this pristine, but over time we have slowly destroyed them through war and exploitation. Few within our general assembly have done better. This particular planet has the strange occurrence that many nearly identical planets have been seen across the cosmos. Unlike other planets similar to Planet 0, this planet has not yet been dominated by any sentient species that would strip it of its resources and beauty. The general assembly has chosen to protect this planet and has placed a shield around it in an attempt to prevent others from despoiling it.”

You nod, understanding the Ambassador’s intention to emotionally connect with you before making his request. You also can’t help but have a sense of familiarity as you view a planet so alike to the one your people had fled from due to disaster.

“So what do you want from me and my people?”

The Ambassador grins, revealing large flat teeth. “We are asking for your government to send an ambassador to join us on Aeon Station. Some opposed your inclusion in our general assembly due to your lack of a homeworld for many years. However, after much debate, it was decided that having your species’ perspective on matters concerning the Drift System and nearby solar systems would be valuable, especially since you are establishing a new home within the Drift System.”

If you choose to try and convince the Strayons to send an ambassador to Aeon Station, fly to the Strayos Colony Ship and listen/read Story 91.

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Story 49

Master of Puppets

“Thank you for allowing us to visit.”, intones your engineer.

The puppet beside him mimics, “Thank you for allowing us to visit.”

“Oh are you just going to copy everything I say?”

The puppet also says, “Oh are you just going to copy everything I say?”.

“What’s gotten into you?”

“Your hand!”

The audience on board the colony ship laughs. Luckily your comm officer had the script in advance so she could tweak the universal translator. The people on board would notice if you slipped away, so you leave it to your navigator with three days worth of stubble to leave instead with his shaving kit. Hopefully the Strayons just chalk it up to being an oddity of your species. While looking for a restroom, your navigator will also take this opportunity to go visit the cryogenics bank in the genetics lab and make a withdrawal. It was really nice that the senior officers greeted you and offered your crew a tour of the ship prior to the show, now your navigator knows exactly where to go. Hopefully the decryption device from your ship is up to the challenge of getting you into the lab, but security seems relatively lax as this feels more like a civilian science vessel.

Let’s see how much material your navigator can get into his shaving cream canister.

Once you return to the Space Zoo you will receive ([d4]+2)x1,000 credits along with your next job provided you make it within three rounds. Otherwise, the coolant system in the shaving cream canister will fail and all the genetic material will be permanently lost.

When you return to the Space Zoo, listen/read Story 50.